Pool and Play

Sullivan had some fun playing with the music table in his crib yesterday while I put away his clean laundry. Still working on sitting by himself, but he's getting there, bit by bit. He can catch himself going forward, it's just that rough going backwards stuff - just not there yet! So sitting in a corner like this is perfect. And he liked the music table a lot!Workin' it :)Daddy and Oliver put the fridge magnets all over the trash can, and here Oliver is saying "ta-da!"
Well, today we finally made it to the pool! We are members at World Gym (we get a hefty discount through Seth's work)...Seth goes often, but I haven't made it over there yet. This particular location does not have childcare available in the gym, so I'm always left with "what to do with the boys?" And I definitely haven't gotten enough motivation to wake up early enough to go before Seth goes into work...maybe someday :) Anyways, Seth tells me all about it and has mentioned that we should go check out the indoor pool, and today was the day. It was great too, cause it was overcast and cold outside and so fun to still be able to swim! Now that I have actually stepped foot inside the gym and have seen the amenities, I'm fairly sure we'll be hitting that joint again. The pool area was awesome! There was a large pool, a hot tub, and a kiddie pool. The kiddie pool went from 1 ft. to 1 1/2 ft., so it was perfect for Oliver to swim and play around in by himself without help from us. He absolutely loved being in that water and doing his own thing. Oliver loves watching older kids, so he had fun mimicking some of the things the other kiddos were doing. And I only had to tell him once not to swallow the water! It sorta grosses me out to think about that whole issue, but I guess I'll have to get over it. Seth and I both survived our childhoods of drinking nasty pool water as children, so I suppose Oliver will too.

The kiddie pool has a gate around it, and it is open anytime the gym is open - no restrictions. There are a few chairs in there and around the other pools, so it'll be perfect for me to bring Oliver without having to get in with him - not that I don't love to swim - I do - but I've got the whole Sullivan issue. So I can stay out with Sullivan and watch Oliver swim. And yes, I'm really looking forward to getting Sullivan in the water as well, but for now I'd rather not completely infest the pool water with his frequent spit-ups. Hopefully in a few months that'll be done with and he can get in and enjoy as well!

I also found out there is a stroller class - where moms come with their strollers and they walk/jog around the track and do lunges as they go, and stop every now and then to do wall jumps, etc. and it's on Fridays when Seth is home so I could go do that while he and Oliver do something else! I seriously haven't worked out in 4 years, so I'm pretty sure it's time to get back on the bandwagon :) Overall health is a good thing...

We'll see how long the excitement lasts, but at least for today it was a fun adventure to the gym!

Fun with bubble wrap

Well, 7 1/2 months later, Sullivan's room is finally complete!! We finally assembled the bookshelf yesterday (after finding a great one at Target, beginning assembly only to realize one of the parts had a large crack in it, contacting the bookshelf company, and receiving another part in the mail) and got it up in his room. It looks great! It's so nice to finally have the room complete. It feels nice when I walk in :) The part they had to re-send us was wrapped in a huge piece of bubble wrap, so after completing the assembly of the bookshelf, we showed Oliver what bubble wrap is all about!
I think I had the most fun of anybody! Seth kept telling me to save some for everyone else :)
And here's the final product! Still need to finish putting stuff on it, but you get the idea.

Yes, we're bruised...

Here are some updated pics of our bruises. Oliver hasn't mentioned his ear at all, and anytime I have asked if it is sore, he replies with a "no." So glad he wasn't really hurt! I had quick visions of a bloody mess as his head was slamming into his step stool. So glad it didn't come to be.
Here's my eye yesterday afternoon... already bruising.
And here it is today. I'm fairly certain I've never gotten a black eye before! It's in a nice spot, though, cause you can't really see it when my eyes are open, and my bangs cover the cut. But boy oh boy is it sore today!

Ouch

So, this morning we had a little mishap. Unusually, Oliver was having a little trouble with his "aim" while going to the bathroom. I was holding Sullivan with one arm while watching Oliver, and when I saw that he was having trouble, I quickly went over to help. After he was finished, I reached down to help pull up his pants (still holding Sullivan). I guess I pulled too hard, because before I knew it, his legs were swept out from underneath him, and his head went crashing towards his wooden step stool. Since I was holding Sullivan, I couldn't grab him with my other arm to prevent the fall. And boy, he hit pretty hard. So I quickly move into action and think "I need to get Sullivan out of my arms"... so I attempt to get out into the hallway to lay Sullivan down on the carpet... I guess the mixture of adrenaline along with the fact that I was wearing my glasses and can't see in my peripheral caused me to misjudge the doorway, and I bashed half of my forehead into the door frame on my way out. Yeah, it hurt. I was just glad Sullivan didn't get hit! I was still filled with adrenaline and laid Sullivan down, scooped Oliver up and went to snuggle him on his bed and make sure he was okay. And yes, he was just fine. Cried for a few minutes, was sad for a few more minutes, and then was back to playing and being happy. He got a big ol' goose egg behind his ear (sorry, the pictures are not that great), but that seems to be the only spot that hit.

As I was comforting him on his bed, I reached my hand up to feel my forehead cause I realized it was pounding pretty badly, and when I brought my hand down, there was a fair amount of blood on my fingers. So I went to check my wound out and found I had gashed myself pretty good. What a dork - who runs into doorways?? Anyways, I cleaned my gash up and I've also got a nice big bump to go with it. Hopefully it won't turn into a black eye. It still hurts like the dickens 6 hours later. And yes, I realize I should pluck my eyebrows sometime soon... Thankfully, Sully Cole got through the whole ordeal unscathed and happy as ever.

While today is 55 degrees, cold, rainy and windy, yesterday was a gorgeous 78. We took advantage of the sun and strolled to the park. Oliver's at a great age where I don't feel like I have to worry about him on the playground. I can just sit with Sullivan on the bench and watch Oliver have his fun. It was great!

Playing and Finger-painting

Yesterday I was sitting on the couch and just watched the following playing occur between my sons:



Too fun :) Oliver is already enjoying being more interactive with Sullivan. I think it'll just get more and more fun!

This morning we decided it was a great morning for finger-painting! I bought the paints awhile back but have not pulled them out yet. I think I was always afraid it would be super messy, and that thought overwhelmed me (yes, I know, I need to lighten up. I'm working on it...) It proved to not be messy at all, and Oliver loved it! He made a great picture and a plate that we punched a whole in, put some string through, and it's currently hanging up for anyone in our house to see.
He wasn't sure about the mess it was making on his fingers at first...
But he got used to it and had lots of fun! I know he's done this a bunch at church, so he knew exactly what to do.
Sullivan even got to do a picture! This one was a little more tricky... :)

We'll definitely be pulling these out again! After naps we're going to enjoy the warm outdoors! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Could it get any sweeter?!?

First I just had to share these first pics of Sullivan - I originally laid him diagonally on the white blanket with his head on the green blanket on his back. A few seconds later, this is where he ended up! Rolled to his tummy, back over to his back, and back over again to his tummy!
He's got the sweetest personality ever. Really. I don't even think I'm biased on this one! Well, of course I'm biased, but you know what I mean. Such a delight.
Before church this morning... the boys looked cute, so I thought I'd try a photo shoot... so glad I did!

Sweet brothers. Oh how I love these boys.



A few days away with Papa and M'laine

About a week ago, Oliver got to go up to a cabin with his Papa and M'laine for a few days - just the three of them! He of course had a great time and made special memories. He got to ride a horse named Festus, see some huge fish at Bass Pro Shops, play and shop at a big outdoor mall with fountains (that's the best part, you know), and M'laine and Papa even got him a Lightning McQueen sleeping bag/pillow/night-light! It came in it's own special rolling bag, and he's been rolling it all over the place :) Thank you, Papa and M'laine, for loving this boy and for taking him and making such special memories. The boys are so blessed to have you!!







Sitting, Sweeping, Splashing, and.....Towers

Here's a picture Oliver took today of his train! He loves taking pictures with the camera - knows exactly how to turn it on and do everything himself. He's getting kinda good, actually :)
After Oliver's weekly "donut with Dad" outing this morning, it was time for some tower-building. Here's a not-so-good shot of his cool tower.
Sullivan's finally getting somewhere with this sitting-business! I've noticed some big improvements in the past few weeks, so I think we're almost there. He was going for extended lengths of time today (extended, as in, 10 seconds, give or take) sitting by himself, and I was excited! Great job, buddy.

Seth was sweeping the floor today, and Oliver wanted to help. So he went and got his broom and swept poor Snoopy and Lightning McQueen into the dust pan. Then he'd dump them into the bucket, put the dust pan and broom in the bucket as well, and carry it around all proud :)

I couldn't resist taking some shots of Sullivan during tonight's bath... he is loving bath time! Splashing a bunch and hamming it up.
He's definitely got some meat on his bones, but I think we've come a long way from "Sumo-Sully" :) (click on "Sumo-Sully" for a laugh) It's so fun to watch them grow and change!
This is Sullivan pretty much most of the time...
What a love.